With prices inflating, now is a great time to start doing more frugal grocery shopping. Here are 5 easy steps to help you save money, reduce food waste, and create a system that works for you.
I love grocery shopping. It is my version of an outlet mall. I walk all the aisles, love trying new products, and generally spend way outside of my budget.
Yes, the girl who makes her husband sigh with exasperation at the sight of grocery receipts is going to talk about frugal grocery shopping techniques.
Who better, really.
When it comes to overspending, I understand the impulse. Food is tasty, life-sustaining, and we usually want the best for our bodies (and our cravings). This goes double for our kids – I blame mothering instincts.
But there are ways to cut your grocery bill without sacrificing the food you like or the dietary needs you have. We have gluten, dairy, and almond allergies in my house, and a preference to avoid meat. And I can still wrangle the bill when I follow these 5 steps.
Ready? Let’s get started!
5 Steps to More Frugal Grocery Shopping
STEP 1: Plan meals your family actually eats
You know those meals that cost pennies, but no one wants to eat when you serve them? Or the ones that have tons of veggies that everyone just picks at? Or the dish that always has leftovers that languish in the fridge until you toss them?
Ditch those dishes. No matter how well-intentioned, if they aren’t getting eaten, then they’re just wasting food and money.
Before you start grocery shopping, sit down with your kids and spouse and list out the meals they like. The breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks that they will eat. Or what modifications will make them palatable.
My middle daughter hates short pasta noodles. But she will eat spaghetti. It seems inconsequential, but if it means the difference between a plate emptied into her belly or the trash, I’m #TeamSpaghetti all the way.
Make your list of meals and then write out the corresponding ingredients. Don’t worry about staples like spices, unless you’re out, because these won’t need to be on the grocery list. Same for baking items.
And while you’re there…
STEP 2: Inventory your kitchen before doing any more grocery shopping
Before you go to the grocery store, you need to know what you have and don’t have. So inventory we must.
Start with your fridge. Empty out the shelves, wipe them down, and then note everything on an inventory checklist. You’ll want to include dates for when things need to be used by, as well as quantity. (Is there anything worse than bringing home a salad mix, only to see 2 more in the crisper already?)
I love these Kitchen Inventory Checklists from ShelfCooking.com.
Now, do the same for the freezer, chest freezer (if you have one), and pantry. The spice cabinet, too, to make sure you’re not completely out of something.
Once you’ve got everything back in place, organized, and inventoried, let’s move on to Step 3…
STEP 3: Shop sales, apps, coupons, and Manager’s specials
If you’ve never grocery shopped sales before, you are entering a new – and sometimes exciting – game. Every store offers sales (often loss leaders to get you in the door), Manager’s specials (deeply discounted products nearing their expiration date), and coupons (digital mostly, but some are still printed). Apps offer cash back and discounts, too.
Now that you know what you have and what you need, create a meal plan for the coming week (or month, if you’re feeling up to it). You can buy a planner for this, use plain old paper, Google docs, or printables (I like these free meal planning printables from ACultivatedNest.com). I also have lots of helpful posts linked below, and printables in my Homemaker’s Toolkit.
Check off the ingredients you already have. As for the rest, begin by checking circulars or online for sales. I like the Flipp website and app so I can look at multiple stores and compare prices. Know that sales generally rotate every 4 weeks, so you’ll see a pattern over time.
You can also check for coupons online at sites like Coupons.com before you grocery shop, and then cash in your receipts at ibotta afterward. (It might be wise to check ibotta first because there are times when they offer money back on one milk brand and not another – so if you’re not picky, you can go with the one that gives you cash back!)
Now that you’ve seen where you can save the most money, tweak your recipes where possible to use a sale item. For instance, my Turkey Taco Bowl is made with chicken, turkey, or beef, depending on which is cheapest that week.
And…. grocery shop! Bring a list. Get your ingredients. Skip the impulse buys. And head home for meal prep…
STEP 4: Prep your meals
Have you ever bought some produce or meat or yogurt with good intentions. Only the week is busy, you forget, it gets pushed to the back of the fridge… And the next thing you know, it’s gone bad. In the trash bin it goes.
Avoiding food waste is a huge goal when it comes to frugal grocery shopping. Buying the same ingredients over and over because you let them rot is a budget-killer. In America alone, we waste about 40% of the food supply every year, which equates to 108 billion pounds of food and $408 billion!
Let’s lower that this year, starting in our own homes.
So instead of making meals each day, which leaves things to chance – and we all know how things can go sideways with busy family life – we’ll meal prep the whole week. I like to do mine on Saturday or Sunday, but whatever equates to your “free” day or weekend works fine.
Prep the meals for the week as best you can. Some are better fresh, such as yogurt parfaits, while others are great make-aheads, like homemade pizza. Allow everything to cool (to avoid bacteria growing), store in airtight containers or wrap well, and LABEL!
Place the date of preparation on everything, and the use-by date. For example, cooked meats will only last about 4 days in the fridge (but longer in the freezer).
Consider the use-by date equivalent to that of the ingredient with the shortest storage timeframe. For example: My beef, broccoli, and rice stir-fry can last about 4 days in the fridge because of the beef. The broccoli and rice could go a week. But I label it with a use-by of 4 days.
The important thing to remember about labeling: Do NOT rely on your memory. You don’t want to wonder if it’s safe or not 10 minutes before dinner, or stare at a tupperware and debate if that yogurt is dairy-free or regular.
And that’s it! You’ve intentionally and frugally grocery shopped and fed your family. Except what about next week…
STEP 5: Set up a system
You know how to do it now. So set up a system that works for you and your family to avoid having your inventories become outdated, your food get wasted, or your budget get blown.
Pick days of the week when you can sit down for 15-30 minutes planning, sale hunting, grocery shopping, and prepping. If you keep up with your inventory list, checking off what’s used so you know when to buy more, then you don’t have much to do with it anymore. Just add and subtract.
I like to inventory on Thursday if needed, then plan and check for sales. I often do this while I’m watching my son at baseball practice. Then on Friday, I shop. And on Saturday, I prep. And on Sunday, I rest.
You’ve got the steps and the know-how. Now get out there and do some frugal grocery shopping so you can serve nutritious and inexpensive meals to your family, knowing that you are reducing waste and saving money – all while doing it efficiently and effectively. Good luck!
Looking for more helpful resources on frugal living and meal planning? Here are some great posts to start with:
6 Meal Planning Strategies for the Non-Cook
When is the Best Time to go Grocery Shopping?
10 Healthy After School Snacks for Hungry Kids
How to Meal Plan Out of Your Own Pantry
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